Pixel ads - fad or future?

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NZ/Pacific – Sunday 29 January 2006

Pixel ads - fad or future?

Pixel advertising may well have a similar impact to that of search engine Google. Sound ambitious? Well Google took what was a basically good existing idea and added value and for that matter so did Microsoft … the rest is history.

There is no doubt the original UK pixel ad site, Million Dollar Homepage (www.milliondollarhomepage.com), was a great idea. It succeeded, say its commentators, because it was new, had a nice human story behind it, and made use of some very good media tactics. But surely there’s more to it.

Copycat websites now abound but going by the commentary, they are receiving a mixed response.

“The success of the original UK site cannot be replicated,” says Robyn Kamira creator of New Zealand based pixel ad site Dingdots (www.dingdots.com). “It was it’s novelty that led to its success and pixel advertising either has to grow beyond the novelty or fade away.” She points to the hundreds of new pixel websites with large empty advertising spaces.

So what is the future of pixel advertising?

“The idea of evolving an existing idea and improving it is what raises the bar and gives us a better service or product. It’s the backbone of business on the Internet and everywhere else.”

When people visit a pixel advertising web site it has to offer something that Google does not. “A well designed pixel website is like a stroll through a shopping mall,” says Ms Kamira.

“Our customers browse at leisure without needing to figure out what search keywords to type in – it’s like opening a box of chocolates.”

Pixel advertising lets companies buy pixels to put their company image on. They buy as many pixels as they like. Visitors to the site can browse and click on an image that takes them to that company’s web site.

Advertiser Denise Raymond from Creative Tourism New Zealand expects increased traffic and says Dingdots’ mosaic of website links is very appealing.

Rahera Smith, Director of Japan-based Call of the Earth says, they are looking for alternative ways to boost website traffic to their site, and Dingdots is an interesting way to advertise.

As well as more visitors to their websites, advertisers expect to get better search engine rankings that will result in even more business presence on the Internet.

“That should translate to dollars for advertisers and access to good deals for customers,” says Ms Kamira.

ENDS

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